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Tarot |
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partaking of the tree of knowledge
∞∞∞
... the woof and warp of all thought and all research is symbols, and the life of thought and science is the life inherent in symbols
…
C. S. Peirce "The Ethics of Terminology", CP 2.220
. ∴ .
Tarot as spiritual tool
To those familiar with Tarot, it may seem a little odd that I selected the above stone carving of Adam and Eve at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as my entry point.
I was reminded of the adage that a little knowledge is dangerous. In some ways, Tarot can be like that, in that one can presume to know far more about oneself, or about others, or about tarot itself, than is really the case. And with this 'knowledge' presume to cause or seek to effect a result or change that may not lead to the better.
If there is something about Tarot that is fantastic, is that is leads ever more deeply into the realm of symbolism. A symbol, and especially a sacred symbol, is one that always points beyond itself, and yet also binds itself to that to which it points. It therefore has, to be sure, a literal meaning that is as real as its allegorical, its pure symbolic, and its spiritual referents.
The five 'suits' of Tarot
I'm increasingly unsure how to best describe the structure of a deck. To characterise it in ways that break current caricatures, I shall here describe it as a deck having five suits: the suit of 22 Atouts or iconic trump imagery; the suit of Batons; of Cups; of Deniers (or coins); and of Epées (or swords), these last four suits each containing ten pips and four court cards.
The twenty-two Atouts or trumps
Here I shall simply list them in the Marseille-style order, calling to mind that early decks had neither number nor title. In the Marseille-style, the thirteenth card often carries no title (though some, such as the early Noblet deck, does!), and the Fou or Mat carries no number (though considered by some, including myself, as the twenty-second card).
It should also be pointed out that various attempts have been made to present different orderings of these cards.
Personally, I prefer the traditional order. It has an inner vibrancy and quality that remains unmatched.
Ordering of trumps
In the above presentation, the twenty-two Atouts are presented simply sequentially – in this case from right-to-left. If we briefly look at the sequence as presented, let us take note of a few features.
Firstly, there is a progression from I-VIIII, then the X visually asks us to 'turn around' and repeat this series as the 'other side' of the first, from XI-XVIIII. In that sense, XI becomes the inner quality of I, XII of II, etc..
At the conclusion of this, XX calls us back out again to the light of day, to emerge as an accomplished human being in its highest form (XXI), often presenting itself to the world as but a Fool.
Petroglyphs and Tarot
An aspect that was being slowly developed on this site is the relationship between petroglyphs from especially late mediæval religious houses and Atouts depictions. This work has been put on hold, initially during the development of Tarotpedia, and more recently due to the 30-week course(s). I hope to resume this at some stage over 2009 (though I have already also committed myself to developing numerous fourhares.com pages on Philosophy).
To get an idea as to what I have started, Cf. XVI - Maison Dieu.
Tarot Resources
In making the following recommendations, I am aware that there are numerous alternatives that may be listed. What I strive to present is an extremely limited list from which far broader resources may emerge.
most highly recommended Tarot deck:
Jean Noblet Tarot (restored by Jean-Claude Flornoy)
recommended Tarot reading:
Anonymous Meditations on the Tarot
O'Neill, Robert Tarot Symbolism
Payne-Towler, Christine The Underground Stream
Douglas, Alfred The Tarot: the origins, meaning and uses of the cards
recommended tarot sites:
www.tarotstudies.com
www.tarothistory.com
recommended Tarot discussion forum:
Tarot Encyclopaedia:
for other tarot pages on this site
> go to home page: tarot tab
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